Accra, July 29, GNA-The Education Director for Nkoranza South, Madam Kpebu Theresa, has been honoured as the region’s STEM Director of the Year following a transformative teacher training initiative led by the African Progressive Research and Innovations LBG (APRIL-STEM).
The accolade comes in the wake of a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) training held in Nkoranza South Municipal on STEM integration in pedagogy, a session that has since catalysed significant educational advancements across the municipality.
A statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Tuesday said Madam Kpebu, who holds an MPhil in Educational Administration from the University of Cape Coast, is known as a forward-thinking educationist constantly seeking out opportunities to improve learning outcomes in her municipality.
Her proactive decision to embrace the APRIL-STEM training has resulted in a marked shift among teachers from rote memorization methods to more practical, skills-based teaching strategies.
Following the CPD training, many educators in the district began implementing new approaches in their classrooms, introducing students to real-world applications of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics theories.
This progress prompted the Bono East Regional Directorate of Education to name Nkoranza South as the fastest-growing STEM education district in the region, earning the municipal leadership national recognition.
To build on the momentum, the district’s STEM Coordinator, Mr Kyeremeh Augustine, launched a STEM and robotics competition to boost the innovation mindset ignited during the training.
The competition showcased student-led projects designed to address community challenges, reinforcing the value of hands-on learning as part of Ghana’s broader shift towards Education 4.0 and 5.0.
APRIL-STEM CEO, Mr Daniel Aboagye, commended Madam Kpebu for her pioneering role in adopting the organisation’s STEM teacher training framework.
“Her leadership has positioned Nkoranza as a beacon of educational innovation. This is the beginning of a movement that we intend to scale across Ghana,” he said.
The training programme, which focuses on helping teachers identify the transferable skills behind scientific theories, aims to transform how education serves communities by inspiring students to become solution-focused thinkers and innovators.
Nana Dwomoh-Doyen Benjamin, President of the African Chamber of Content Producers, echoed the importance of the shift toward Education 5.0, stressing that the next phase of education must encourage students not only to understand but to invent.
“The classroom must produce innovators, not memorizers,” he said.
David Adofo, Head of Research and Innovations at APRIL-STEM, noted that the organisation’s pedagogy is continually evolving to reflect the changing landscape of global education. “As a progressive research institution, our models are rooted in industrial trends and designed to prepare learners for the fourth and fifth industrial revolutions.”
The achievements in Nkoranza South have also drawn praise for senior education authorities, including Ghana’s National STEM Coordinator at the GES Headquarters in Accra, the Bono East Regional Director of Education, Nana Kugbeadzor-Bakateyi II, and the Regional STEM Coordinator, Mr David Mensah Agyampah, who have all been hailed for their contribution in different ways towards the municipality’s leadership and dedication to innovation in teaching.
The statement said with several more CPD sessions planned across the country, APRIL-STEM’s impact is expected to expand rapidly as more districts adopt its practical, community-focused approach to STEM education.
The Nkoranza model is now widely seen as a blueprint for how effective partnerships between education directorates and research-based organisations can lead to meaningful reforms in Ghana’s education sector.
GNA
Edited by George-Ramsey Benamba